Masquerade
by firnoviel
Summary: Syaoran, the school nerd, has fallen for Tomoyo, the most popular girl in school. But what happens when she plays a nasty trick on him which also affects her cousin, Sakura? SS story. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Long time, no write. Anyway, this is just a teaser for the upcoming story, so please read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, and I do not claim to. This may not be a very original story, either, so don't get mad if you think I copied your story. I swear that I have never read a story with this idea as far as I know.

------

Tomoyo glided down the hall in a crowd of gossiping girls. The school was abuzz with talk of the up coming masquerade ball. As the most popular girl in school, she wasn't having any trouble getting asked, finding a dress, or deciding how to do her hair. Her only concern was giving advice to all the less fortunate girls who came seeking her wisdom on all things fashionable. Trailing at the back of the group was her cousin, Sakura. Sakura was also her best friend because she was the only one Tomoyo could trust enough to tell all her dirty little secrets.

Sakura was also a very attractive girl, but she was quiet and didn't wear skin-tight clothes. People looked at her and saw messy brown hair quickly pulled up, glasses, a sweatshirt and baggy jeans. No one ever really saw Sakura except as Tomoyo's shadow.

Syaoran stood with his locker door open and turned to watch Tomoyo pass. He had been head-over-heels for her since third grade, but she didn't know he existed. Syaoran was the school nerd. He had slicked back hair, bulky black glasses, a plaid shirt, khaki pants which were slightly too short, and old loafers. He knew that girls never noticed him, but he had created an image of Tomoyo in his mind, and he thought she was a perfect goddess: totally kind, loving, and friendly. Surely this Tomoyo would notice him...

In chemistry, Syaoran normally sat in the desk behind Tomoyo and Sakura, staring at his angel the whole time. Today was different, though. Today, Syaoran had built up his courage, and he slyly dropped a note on Tomoyo's desk as he walked to his seat. She read it with a very surprised look on her face, but turned around and smiled at him. Syaoran's heart absolutely melted at the site.

When class was over, Tomoyo pulled him aside in the hall.

"May I speak with you?" She asked in her sweetest voice.

"You want to talk to m-me?" He stammered, "I mean, of course you can!"

"Good. Look, I'd love to go with you to the dance. Meet me there at 8 o'clock sharp. I'll be dressed in a gown with a white and silver mask covering my face, okay? I'll be waiting!" She lilted as she turned and walked away, leaving Syaoran totally dumbfounded.

"What was that all about?" Sakura asked as Tomoyo walked up to her. She had missed the conversation, and had only seen Tomoyo talking to Syaoran as she came out of the bathroom.

"Oh, nothing, just being kind to one of my more unfortunate fans," Tomoyo said condescendingly.

"Hey, Sakura, I've got a great idea for your costume for the dance! You should go as a princess. You could wear a beautiful dress and a mask, and everything! Oh, you could have a black wig, and pretend to be me! And I could pretend to be you, and see what people think. Oh what fun we shall have!" Tomoyo squealed, squeezing Sakura's arm and hurrying her over to Tomoyo's house before she could protest.

------

Well? What do you guys think? I know, I haven't written anything in a really long time, and this is only a teaser to upcoming chapters, assuming this one gets a good rating. Please review, guys! I won't add more until I have at least five reviews. Oh and don't get mad if I can't update right away. I am a chronic sufferer of writer's block, plus I have school and a job to keep up with. But I will write as much as possible!


	2. The Ball

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura. I never have, never will, and will never claim to, so consider this a disclaimer for all of the following chapters, as well.

Hey! Wow! I got five reviews really fast! I would like to thank Wednesday, AIdeen, INUYASHAREDSTAR, princess-confused, and kae'she for reviewing. For those of you who have never read any of my other stories before (I write CCS, Sailor Moon, and a couple of really bad HP fics), I generally write really short chapters and have no idea what to do from chapter to chapter. Suggestions are always appreciated, but I can't guarantee that I will always use them. Any review is appreciated, for that matter, even if it's a flame. But I must request that if you do flame me, that you give suggestions for improvement. Thanks! Alright, enough of my yammering, here's the story!

------

It was finally January 21; the night of the big masquerade ball. Syaoran had gone through a lot of trouble to get his costume, a black suit with long tails, a red cumber button, and a flowing black cape with red trim. He had even acquired an ebony black cane and top hat. He was to be the world's greatest lover: Giacomo Casanova. No one from school would have recognized their smartest classmate. He had been working out for weeks, and his once scrawny body was now lean and strong. He had even gotten contacts for the special occasion, and his amber eyes were luminous with glee. He couldn't wait to see his beautiful date.

Sakura and Tomoyo were getting ready at Tomoyo's house, because she had such an amazing wardrobe and makeup collection, and Sakura needed all the help she could get. Tomoyo was wearing a lovely rose-colored dress with a small black mask around her eyes. The mask had red and white rose patterns all over it, to match the color of the dress. She had a honey-chestnut wig on with small flowers woven in to cover her black tresses and disguise herself as Sakura. All in all, Tomoyo was gorgeous, as always.

Sakura was wearing a white, satin, mermaid-style gown which flared slightly above the knees and showed off her amazing figure. It had little silver beads covering it in tiny patterns, and was totally strapless. Since it was January, she had a little white faux fur cropped jacket. Her black wig was pulled up in a bun on the top of her head with large ringlets cascading down the back, and one on the side of her face. The white satin mask encircled her huge emerald eyes, and the silver embroidery brought out the sparkles in them. She was a complete and total knock-out.

"Sakura! Oh my gosh! You look gorgeous! I'll never understand why you don't dress better at school. You are such a little hottie. Well, I suppose that if you did, I'd have to worry about you stealing some of my admirers. Heehee! Well, if I keep rambling on we'll be late, so let's go!" Tomoyo said, and floated out of the house to slide into the waiting limo. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She couldn't help but feel something was wrong. But nonetheless, she followed Tomoyo into the waiting limo to be whisked away to the dance.

'Where is she? I hope she hasn't stood me up,' an anxious Syaoran thought as he looked at his watch. 8:10. When he looked up, though, there she was. Standing at the top of the staircase, bathed in the glow of the disco ball suspended from the ceiling. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen! Her cousin didn't look too bad, either, but the girl in the white dress was all he could really focus on. He remembered what he was doing and bounded up the stairs, three at a time, to greet her.

"Well, hello, fancy meeting you here!" He grinned, "Shall we dance?" He held out his arm to her, and she gently slid her small hand into the crook of his elbow while he escorted her to the dance floor.

"You look beautiful tonight, Tomoyo. Not that you aren't stunning every other day, but most especially tonight," he smiled down at the girl in his arms.

"Thank you. You're looking quite handsome tonight, yourself," Sakura smiled back, trying not to let on that she wasn't Tomoyo. After all, they were supposed to be pretending to be one another. She wasn't sure who this guy was, either. He had a really attractive face, and his tousled hair was quite cute. She could honestly say that she could have dance with him all night.

"By the way, who is your character? Or are you dressed as a specific character?" She questioned, remembering that this was a masquerade ball.

"Oh, you don't recognize me? I am the one and only...Casanova!" He said with a flourish, and suddenly dipped her deeply and gave her a kiss on her soft pink lips. He brought her up and they stood, staring at each other.

"Wow," was all he could think of at first. Then he noticed her eyes. "Hey, those are some really cool contacts you have in," he said, commenting on how her eyes were no longer violet like Tomoyo's, but emerald.

"Oh...yes...thank you," Sakura managed to whisper. This guy had to be the greatest kisser. Ever. They continued to stare at one another for a few more moments until the real Tomoyo came over, disguised as Sakura.

"Hey, Tomoyo! How's it going?" She giggled and turned to Syaoran. She looked at him, and then looked again, "hey, who are you?" She questioned.

"Casanova, of course. Or do you mean in real life?" He fired back.

"I mean in real life. Duh," she snapped.

"Oh. I'm Syaoran Li. Why?" He answered, a little deflated.

"_You're Syaoran Li!_ Oh my gosh! What happened to you?" She started.

"Nothing. I've been working out and I got contacts."

Tomoyo opened and shut her mouth a few times, glanced at Sakura, and stormed off, not sure what to think.

"What's up with her?" Syaoran asked Sakura. But she was just staring at him with huge eyes, unable to believe that this was the nerdiest kid in school. And it turned out that he was actually a total hunk! And a great kisser...

------

Okay, I'm out of ideas for this chapter. I'll think about it and write the next chapter. Please review! I love reading what you guys have to say, good or bad. I'd like to get 5 to 10 reviews on this chapter before I write another, so you know the drill! Thank you for reading, and have a nice day:)


	3. Planning

Hey! I know that this update isn't soon enough for some of you, but it was the soonest I could get it done. So from now on, I'm going to try to write one chapter a week. Sometimes more if I can, but don't expect that very often. Please continue to read and review. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! Okay, well, I'll stop taking up your time.

------

Sakura stared up at the guy in front of her. This was Syaoran Li? The nerdiest guy in school? But...how? Then she remembered his conversation with Tomoyo which she had missed because she had been in the bathroom. Of course! But why would Tomoyo do something so mean? Oh wait, it was Tomoyo. But she'd never pulled Sakura in to it before...Well, Sakura wasn't going to let her get away with it this time. Not is she had anything to do with it.

"Syaoran," she said, turning back to him with her eyes flashing, "I need to talk to you in private. Do you mind?" She headed towards the door which led to the school gardens. Syaoran quickly followed.

"What is it?" He asked when they were seated on a bench.

"Well, you know how you asked me to come to the dance with you after class one day? My cousin, Sakura, was in the bathroom at the time, and didn't know a thing about it. Anyway, I said yes, but I really had no intention of ever going with you. I tricked you, and it was very wrong. The truth is, Syaoran, I'm not Tomoyo. I'm Sakura," at this, she lifted her mask so he could see her face. He was stunned and couldn't concentrate on anything else except that he knew he had to hear her story. "Syaoran, I didn't mean to trick you, but Tomoyo said that it would be fun to pretend to be each other. I thought, what the heck, and went along with it because it sounded fun at the time. I was playing along tonight, but the truth is, I've gotten to know you a little, and I like you. Please don't be mad!"

Syaoran sat in stunned silence for a minute, and stared at his feet. "But...why would she do this to me? I thought Tomoyo was so nice..." he said sadly.

"Syaoran, not everyone is as they seem. Tomoyo is a stuck-up snob who would never be seen with anyone she considered beneath her. The only reason she hangs out with me is because I'm her cousin so she figures she can trust me, especially since I don't really have any other friends," Sakura said bluntly.

"Now what?" Syaoran asked, looking to Sakura for guidance.

"Well, I have an idea. But you have to be willing to play along with me, okay? I figure, the best way to get back at Tomoyo is to make her jealous. So here's what we do. First, you've got to look this good all the time. That means the hair, the clothes, the shoes, etc. I'll take you shopping tomorrow and we can work on your looks. We can even get you new glasses. That way, Tomoyo will be mad that she threw you to me. I'm going to start dressing better and not hang out with her so much. Then maybe she'll realize that she shouldn't treat me like dirt when she finds out that she doesn't really have any other true friends. But to get all of this to really throw her over the edge, we're going to have to pretend to be dating each other," Sakura finished with a blush.

Syaoran looked at her. He definitely thought she was beautiful. So pretending to like her wouldn't be a problem. She seemed pretty nice, too. Apparently she was a lot nice than Tomoyo, except for when she got mad. He made a mental note never to make her mad.

"Okay, I'll do it," he agreed.

"Great! Alright, so when we go back in, we're going to have to pretend to be all over each other. I'll tell her that you asked me out after we leave. I can't wait to see the look on her face!" Sakura grinned evilly.

"Wow, you're kind of scaring me. But it's also pretty cute," he smiled, hooked her hand through his, and led her back into the dance.

"Yeah, so I was all like--Oh my gosh! What is she doing!" Tomoyo screeched in the middle of a conversation with her minions. Sakura had just come back into the room, and had suddenly turned and begun snogging Syaoran.

"What is it, Sakura? Oh, Tomoyo? Who's the hottie with her?" Rika asked.

"That's not Tomoyo, that's Sakura! And that _hottie_ is Syaoran Li!" Tomoyo growled.

"That's Syaoran? And you're Tomoyo! And that's..._Sakura!_" Rika sqealed, shocked at seeing the shy Sakura kissing such an attractive guy, that that guy was Syaoran, and that the person she'd been talking to all night was actually Tomoyo and not Sakura.

"Yeah. I can't believe it, either." And with that, Tomoyo stormed over to Sakura, ripped her away from Syaoran, and dragged her out to the car. She stuffed her in the passenger's seat and drove them home in a screaming silence.

------

Okay, there's that chapter done. As always, please read and review! Are there any surprises here? Probably not. I'm not terribly creative with my ideas. Like I said, I'm going to try to update a minimum of once a week, because I may not have time to do more than that, but I should be able to crank out at least one chapter. Thanks for reading!


	4. After the Ball

Wow! I'm really pleased with the response this story is getting! Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing or even just reading it and giving the story more hits. Please feel free to check out my other stories, too. They're all complete except for this one. Anyway, like I said last time, I will try to update once a week. Hopefully, that means I will write more and have a better quality story. So please continue to review! It makes me feel good about my story; like what I'm doing is appreciated. Oh, and I do respond to all signed reviews, good or bad.

------

"_What the heck do you think you're doing, Sakura!" _Tomoyo hissed through clenched teeth as she zipped in and out of traffic. She had a death grip on the wheel, and Sakura thought it was probably best not to lip off at this point.

"What? I finally found a hot guy who likes me. What's wrong with that? Am I not allowed to have a boyfriend?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Sakura, sweetie, of course you can have a boyfriend. Just not one of mine, _okay!" _Tomoyo simpered.

"But Syaoran isn't one of yours. You didn't want to go to the ball with him, which is why you tricked me into switching places, remember?" Sakura shot back. Now she was the one getting angry.

"Look, Sakura, I'll give you any of my other guys, but I get Syaoran, okay? I want him. Come on, you know you're just doing this to get even with me," Tomoyo giggled.

"That's not true," Sakura half-lied. She really did like Syaoran, but she did want to get even with Tomoyo badly.

"Okay, honey, whatever. So, what do you want to do tomorrow? We can go to a movie or something, if you like. I'll even buy your way," Tomoyo offered, trying to change the subject and get back on Sakura's good side so she'd give in.

"Sorry, but I have plans tomorrow. Syaoran and I are going out. He's my _boyfriend_, remember? We're going to do stuff together _as a couple_." Sakura put extra emphasis on those words, because she knew that it would make Tomoyo flinch and get even more jealous.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll just get together with Rika or something. You're not my only friend, Sakura. You do realize that, right?" Tomoyo spat.

"Yes, I know, Tomoyo. And you're not my only friend, either, so let's just do stuff on our own or with our other friends for a while. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Let's test that theory," Sakura said as they pulled into her driveway.

"Okay, let's," Tomoyo snapped. Sakura got out and flounced up to the front door, went in, slammed it, and burst out laughing. This was going to be more fun than she had imagined.

- - -

The next day, she met Syaoran at the mall. He seemed a little nervous, and had done as she'd instructed and let his hair remain tousled instead of slicking it back. Sakura had done her best to wear her most up-to-date clothes, but she still looked like a through back to the early 1990's in her tapered-leg high-waist jeans and cut-off t-shirt. This was going to be an expensive remodeling, she could tell.

They shopped for five hours, hitting all of the major department stores, and getting everything from jeans and shirts to cologne, and in Sakura's case, bras. Of course, for that stop she'd left Syaoran outside, both of their faces glowing like Rudolph's nose, as she entered Victoria's Secret.

Finally, they collapsed at a table in the food court, surrounded by scads of bags containing all sorts of treasures. Sakura looked at Syaoran, her face aglow with pleasure.

"I think I just spent over one thousand dollars! That's more than I've spent on clothing in the last five years," she giggled. Syaoran looked at her with a rather vacant stare and collapsed on the table snoring. It had been a _very _long day for him.

"Oh, wake up!" She laughed, jiggling his head with her hand. He swatted her hand away and mumbled something incoherent into the tabletop. Sakura giggled. Syaoran had a sweet little charm to him, and Sakura couldn't believe that Tomoyo wouldn't even give him a chance. She totally deserved what was coming to her this time.

- - -

"Tomoyo! Hi! Uh, where's Sakura?" Rika asked in a slightly bewildered voice when she opened her front door to find Tomoyo on the top step. Tomoyo collapsed onto Rika's shoulder and began sobbing. Rika rolled her eyes and began patting Tomoyo's back, leading her upstairs to her bedroom. She sat Tomoyo down on the bed and asked her to explain everything.

"It's that Sakura. She's ditched me for a guy, Rika! How could she do that to me? Of all people! I trusted Sakura, and this is how she repays me. Why, Rika, why? I just don't get it!" Tomoyo cried, and fell into the stack of pillows piled at the head of the bed.

"I dunno why Sakura'd do that, Tomoyo. I mean, it's not like you've ever abandoned her for a guy before...You were right there for her when her dad was in that accident and she needed someone to be with her- Oh wait, that was me. You were off with Haru at the movies. Well there was that one time- No, that was me, too. Well, you've always let her follow you around, anyway..." Rika finished lamely.

"Rika, who's side are you on, anyway?" Tomoyo looked at her, her eyes all red and puffy and her nose slightly drippy. Rika had never seen her quite like this before. But she wasn't going to lie to Tomoyo, either.

"Honestly, Tomoyo? I think it's good that Sakura finally found a guy. So you could say I'm on her side this time."

Tomoyo looked at her in astonishment, let out a little cry, and rushed from the house, slamming the front door on her way out. She couldn't believe that Rika would betray her to that little tramp Sakura like that.

------

Well, there's another chapter in the books. What did you guys think? I hope you liked it. I thought it was a little boring. Please review! I love seeing what you guys have to say, and I still respond to all signed reviews. Thanks for reading!


	5. The Tree

I'm so sorry that I'm just now getting this chapter written! I put things off, got busy with school, and then I couldn't access my file with what I had already written, so I'm starting all over right now. Hopefully this story with be better than the chapter that I had started. I wasn't very far, though, so it shouldn't be too hard to do. Anyway, please read and review, as always!

------

The following Monday, Sakura and Syaoran made a splash at school with their new makeovers.

"Oh...my...gosh! It's Sakura! What happened to her!" Chiharu squealed.

"She's...had a _serious_ makeover, apparently!" Rika laughed.

Chiharu and Rika proceeded to mob Sakura and grill her about her new clothes, makeup and hair style. Sakura laughed and gently brushed them off when Syaoran entered. She walked up to him and took his arm, discreetly telling the other girls to back off. Syaoran blushed slightly but made no protestations. They began to make small talk with the various girls around, and no one noticed when Tomoyo entered alone, her face swollen and eyes red from crying.

-----

After school that day, Sakura and Syaoran walked out into the pale winter sunshine.

"Great job today! I think we've really got everyone fooled," Sakura giggled.

"Heh...yeah. It's kinda fun to see how the other side lives. I guess I never really thought that the popular kids had it very hard, but I was wrong. They've got to look great all the time and there's all sorts of back-stabbing and stuff. But a lot of them are pretty nice, too," Syaoran said, as Chiharu walked by and smiled at him. He waved back, but put his arm around Sakura at the same time. Chiharu got the point and turned away.

"Nice cover," Sakura laughed, pulling out of his grasp. "I've got to go home, though, so I'll see you later!" She waved as she walked away. Syaoran waved back, and then walked down the hill behind the school, intending to go home.

He wasn't expecting to here sniffles, and looking around all he saw was a bunch of trees. He looked up to the nearest one, though, and saw Tomoyo. She was sitting with her back to him, and crying.

"What's wrong, Tomoyo?" he asked, walking to the base of the tree. She jumped, almost falling out of the tree with surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she spat.

"I'm walking home. What did you think I was doing, stalking you? I've got a girlfriend, remember?" he was offended at her curt reply, but was shocked to find that this response brought on a new wave of tears from the girl.

"I'm s-sorry I sn-napped at you just now, but..." he couldn't make out the rest through her sobs.

"Tomoyo, why don't you come down from the tree, and we can talk down here?" Syaoran asked. Seeing a girl cry made him really uncomfortable, especially since he couldn't help feeling partially responsible somehow. She nodded and climbed down.

"I'm so sorry you had to see me crying like that. I really don't cry very often," she said, trying to smile and wipe away the tears. "I'm also afraid that I owe you an apology. What I did to you and Sakura at the dance was very mean and wrong of me. I see that now, and I'm sorry. I can be very shallow, but I'm trying to be better."

Syaoran didn't know what to say to this. Apparently Tomoyo was full of surprises, because he hadn't been expecting this, either. She took his silence for anger.

"I said I'm sorry, okay? I mean it, too. Don't just stand there and glare at me," she said, suddenly becoming angry again.

"Oh, no no! I'm not mad. I'm just...surprised, I guess. I wasn't really expecting an apology. It's okay, though. I'm not mad about the trick. I understand why you did it. I wasn't exactly very good looking compared to the guys you're used to going out with, huh?" he chuckled.

"Well, anyway, it seems some good came of it, anyway. You and Sakura are cute together. I've been pretty rotten to her lately, too. I just don't have the nerve to go talk to her right now. Syaoran, please, don't tell her that I said anything to you, okay? I don't want her to think I'm cracking under the pressure. I feel bad, but I've still got my pride. I'm not going to beg for her forgiveness."

"Alright. I don't quite understand, but the female mind is something men will never quite comprehend, I suppose," Syaoran said, giving her a slightly puzzled look.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, thanks for letting me talk. You're a nice guy, Syaoran. I'm glad Sakura got you." And with that, she turned and walked away.

Syaoran just didn't quite know what to do now. He and Sakura were pretending to be dating so that they could make Tomoyo jealous because of the awful trick she had played on them. But Tomoyo was sorry, and now she was being really nice. She had made him promise not to tell Sakura what she'd told him, so just telling Sakura to call the whole thing off was out of the question. Plus, he didn't quite know if he wanted to call the whole thing off just yet. Sakura was pretty fun to hang out with, and it was interesting to see what it was like to be popular for once. But Tomoyo was really nice, after all, and he had had a huge crush on her since they were little kids. Plus she'd looked really good when she was being nice to him...

What to do?

------

Okay, I know it's a pretty crappy end to a chapter, but I'm just trying to get it all written so that I don't get horrible burns for breaking my promise of one chapter a week. I hope this chapter was okay...I wrote it in a huge rush of ideas once I finally got started, but I had writer's block pretty bad for a while, which is also part of why I didn't get this chapter up sooner. That was actually several chapter ideas all pressed into one, so I don't quite know how long I'm going to be able to make this fic. Anyway, please review, even if you give me flames. Thanks for being so patient, guys! I will try to get the next chapter up much sooner. Adios!


	6. Tomoyo's Plan

Okay, I actually started this chapter as soon as I finished the last one, because I want to get as much of it done as possible and not put it off. But I'm going to take my time putting up chapters because I get more hits and reviews if I wait a couple days in between each chapter. I hope you guys like this one! Remember, I'm trying to put in a twist to the normal plot. Hopefully it's an interesting one. So please read and review, even if you flame me. I don't mind; just make it constructive criticism so I can improve. Thanks for being awesome readers, guys!

------

Sakura walked away from Syaoran feeling giddy. Not only did she now have a boyfriend, but she was beautiful and popular! Even if her boyfriend wasn't real and the popularity was extremely superficial, it was still a very enjoyable feeling. _Tomoyo, eat your heart out, _she thought.

She looked down suddenly.

"Oh, crud," she said, realizing that she had forgotten her chemistry book at school. She ran back into the school, grabbed the book out of her locker and bolted back out. She ran back a little ways, but was quickly out of breath.

"There's a reason I'm only a sprinter," she gasped, clutching her side as she stopped to catch her breath. She looked down the hill and saw something strange. Syaoran was standing at the base of a tree, apparently talking to something. Then Tomoyo suddenly slithered out of the tree. He was talking to her! Sakura was outraged. She watched the meeting silently. When Tomoyo left, she saw how Syaoran watched her go. Sakura couldn't help but feel a little pang of jealousy.

"First she humiliates me, and now she's going to try to steal my boyfriend? Oh, I don't think so!" Sakura muttered under her breath. She turned on her heel and stormed off.

-----

The next day at school, Sakura and Syaoran were again mobbed by mostly girls who wanted to glimpse their remarkable transformations and give them the fifth degree. Tomoyo, however, showed up looking like peaches and cream in her lovely light pink dress with white accents. She walked coyly past the two without a second glance in their direction and straight to her locker, nabbing Rika in the process.

"Hey, Rika, what's up? Hey, I'm sorry about that outburst that I had at your house. So would you mind taking Sakura to a movie for me on Friday night? I'd ask her, but I don't think she wants to talk to me right now. I'll give you money and everything, okay? Anyway, what homework did we have in chemistry?" Tomoyo was a very fast talker. Rika had trouble processing it all so fast, so she just smiled, nodded, and gave Tomoyo the assignment. She walked away with her head spinning slightly.

"Perfect." Tomoyo smiled to herself. This was going well.

-----

Later on, Tomoyo walked into her English class and looked around. She appeared to be very sad and lonely again, so Syaoran, feeling bad, offered her the seat next to him. After all, Sakura wasn't in this class, so what was the harm?

"Syaoran, I just want to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn't have told you all that just to make myself feel better. I don't want you to feel obliged to be nice to me or anything like that. You can ignore me if you want. I won't be offended," she said, looking meekly at her hands.

"Oh, no, it's fine. You're a nice girl, Tomoyo. I don't mind hanging out with you every now and then," Syaoran said. After all, he's a nice guy.

"Really? What are you doing Friday night? Will you go to a movie with me? Please? You're so nice, Syaoran! Thank you! I'll meet you at the theatre at seven!"

------

Okay, I know this chapter is unusually short for me, but I didn't have a whole lot of ideas and this chapter is just sort of setting up the next one better. I have some pretty good ideas for the next one, and I wanted to get this one up ASAP, unlike the last one. Anyway, I hope you all like it, and please review! I don't even mind flames. I haven't gotten any so far on this story, but it's still fairly new. Thanks to all of my return readers! I really appreciate you guys. Actually, I appreciate anyone who reviews. I didn't get as many as I would have liked last chapter...please review more this chapter!


	7. Traitor

Hey! Well, here's another installment of my little fanfic. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far, guys! And don't forget, I respond to all signed reviews, so if you want to ask me a question or something in your review, make sure it's signed and I'll do my best to give you an answer. And about whether or not Eriol will appear; you'll just have to keep reading, because I'm not even sure! Oh, and I've given up trying to keep a deadline. I'll just update when I can. So without further ado...

------

Sakura hadn't taken much convincing to get her to the movie. She was still mad at Syaoran and was avoiding him, so she figured this would be a good diversion. When she and Rika arrived at the theatre, the only movie that they could both agree on was a chick flick that they both wanted to see. They didn't notice the girl standing behind them with a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses on. They got their pop and popcorn and took their seats in the theatre.

The girl with the sunglasses went outside to wait. A boy came up and greeted her. It was none other than Syaoran, because the mystery girl was the terrible Tomoyo! They got their tickets, popcorn and pop and went to the theatre.

Tomoyo entered first, saw Sakura and Rika sitting at the back of the theatre, and did her best not to catch their eyes. Fortunately, they appeared to be talking about something and paid no attention to her. But when Syaoran came in, Sakura happened to look up. Tomoyo caught the look of shocked outrage on her face and had a brief feeling of guilt. Then she remembered what Sakura had said to her about her friends. Tomoyo grabbed Syaoran's hand, shocking him out of his little reverie in la-la land. He hadn't noticed Sakura, to Tomoyo's relief. She led him to a seat about five rows directly in front of Rika and Sakura.

The whole time, Sakura watched them, and the theatre's stadium seating made it much easier to see the entire little game unfold. As the movie started, they both just sat there, eating their popcorn and occasionally sipping at their pop. Sakura thought she saw Tomoyo cast a few glances at Syaoran, and was disgusted to see her slip her hand into his. Much to her chagrin, he didn't let go.

By the end of the movie, Sakura was almost in tears. She had watched as Tomoyo slowly moved from holding Syaoran's hand to putting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled closer. Eventually, Tomoyo kissed Syaoran on the cheek and by the end, they were in a full blown lip-lock. This was the final blow. Sakura stood up, her face stony, and stormed out of the theatre with Rika following in her wake.

------

Okay, I know it's really really insanely short, but I had monstrous attacks of writer's block and laziness. So please forgive me! Gomen. Anyway, please review, even flames, just be constructive. I'll try to be faster with the next chapter.


	8. The Library

Okay, the last chapter was really short and poorly written. I'll try to do better on this chapter. I had the whole idea in mind for these two chapters; I just didn't know how to write the theatre part. So now that that's out of the way, hopefully I'll have an easier time writing this.

------

Syaoran came up for breath just in time to see Sakura's pretty pink back fleeing to the music of the credits. He was puzzled, but then a light came on in the darkness. He looked at the girl in his arms and knew it was the wrong one.

"What have I done?" he whispered.

"That...was...amazing!" Tomoyo said, trying to pull Syaoran back to her. But he pushed her away and stood up.

"Tomoyo, you don't know just what you've done for me. Yeah, you're a manipulative, conniving, evil girl who needs some serious psychotherapy, but you've shown me my biggest mistake. Sakura is the girl I should have been here with. And I'm such an idiot not to have seen this sooner. Good-bye," and without a backward glance he was gone.

"Psychotherapy? Psh. He's the one chasing Sakura after kissing _me_," Tomoyo sniffed.

---

"Sakura, what's wrong? Please talk to me!" Rika pleaded. Sakura had run to the park a block down the street and was sitting with her back to Rika under the giant turtle statue. Her knees were pulled up under her chin and she was silent.

"Please, Rika, just leave me alone," Sakura whispered.

"No. I won't leave you like this. I don't know what happened back there, but I won't leave you. It's almost 10 o'clock, and the city isn't safe at night if you're alone. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but I'm staying with you," and with that, Rika plopped down next to the turtle, refusing to move.

A few minutes later Rika felt two small arms snake around her shoulders. She turned her head and saw Sakura's face inches from her own.

"Rika, thank you for being here for me. Do you really not know what happened? Tomoyo was at the movie a few rows in front of us. But she wasn't alone. Syaoran was with her, and they started to make out. Rika, this all just started out as a way to give Tomoyo a taste of her own medicine, but I really started to care about Syaoran. Now she's stolen the only guy I ever really cared about just because she was jealous. And he apparently doesn't share my feelings or he wouldn't have let her kiss him. Rika, what do I do?" Sakura sobbed. Rika pulled her friend into a hug and tried to comfort her.

"I don't know what to tell you, Sakura. Heartbreak really hurts, but it's something that everyone deals with at some point. It hurts now, and it's going to hurt for a while. But eventually, it will get better. For now, just try staying busy and that way you won't be so inclined to think about him, okay, sweetie?"

"That sounds like it may work. What should I do to stay busy?" Sakura sniffled.

"Well, how about if you volunteer at the library with me?" Rika suggested.

"Yeah, that could be fun. I guess I'll just come with you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, I'll stop by at 8, and we can go. Now, let's get you home," Rika stood up and pulled Sakura to her feet.

---

The next day, Sakura and Rika headed to the library. They spent all day alphabetizing, shelving, and scanning. Finally, Sakura got a break and went off to look at books. She had just sat down in a comfortable chair and was really starting to get into the book when she heard a polite cough. She looked up into a pair of beautiful blue eyes rimmed with glasses.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" she asked, standing up.

"Um, yes, I hope so. I saw you earlier shelving books, and now I can't seem to find the one I was looking for. I was wondering if you could help me out a bit. I was looking for _The Republic_ by Plato. Do you know where I might find it?" the young man questioned.

"Plato? Oh, um...yes, I think so. Follow me. My name is Sakura Kinomoto, by the way," she said as she wandered through the rows of books.

"My name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. I'm new around here," Eriol introduced himself.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Eriol. I've lived here my whole life. Well, not at the library of course, but Tokyo. I guess that's rather obvious. Now I just sound like an idiot. I should have stopped talking long ago, shouldn't I?" Sakura started to blush.

"Oh, I don't mind. It's rather cute, actually. I've never made a girl blush before," Eriol laughed.

"Oh, haha. Hey! Here's the book," Sakura snatched the old book off the shelf before she could embarrass herself more. "Well, I hope you like it here! I've gotta go. Bye!" She dashed off before he could say anything else.

"Sakura, who was the guy? I've never seen him before," Rika asked as Sakura sprinted past. She grabbed her back and fell in step with her friend.

"Oh, his name's Eriol. He said he's new around here and wanted me to tell him where to find a book. _The Republic _by Plato. Never heard of it," Sakura shook her head.

"Never heard of it? Sakura, it's only one of the greatest books ever written on philosophy! Plato was a genius of the caliber of Socrates, Aristotle, and Einstein! The boy must be a complete brainiac to be reading that!" Rika exclaimed.

"Let's see...I've heard of exactly one of those people. I'm sure he's probably a genius, but so what? I'll never see him again," and with that, Sakura flounced off.

"I guess you're probably right," Rika sighed and followed.

------

Okay, well, that's that. Eriol's in! And this chapter went a whole lot faster than I expected. Hopefully you guys liked it. It actually turned out way different than I expected. It's funny how that happens, isn't it? Well, please review, even constructive flaming is allowed. I won't keep up this break-neck pace, but I'll try to be more consistent with my updates.


	9. Monday

Okay, I hope the last chapter made you Eriol fans happy! He's now in the story, just like many of you were requesting I do. Well, I'm trying to update more often for all of your sakes. Remember, if you have questions, I respond to all signed reviews, but I only respond once to each review. I can't figure out how to keep up a correspondence without completely giving out my email address and stuff. Okay, well, let's see where my aimless writings take us this time!

------

The following Monday at school, Sakura was late, as always. She rushed to her locker, threw her backpack in and grabbed her chemistry notebook. She hurried off to class and slunk into her seat without a glance at the handsome-yet sad-boy across the aisle. However, she hadn't been in her seat long before the teacher got a phone call.

"Yes...alright, I'll tell her. Thank you. Good-bye. Sakura, you are to go to the office immediately," her teacher told her curtly. Sakura gulped, wondering if the administration was finally cracking down on her for her tardiness.

"Okay," she said as she picked up her things and left.

When she got to the office the secretary sent her in to see the principal. At this point, Sakura had pretty much given herself up as dead. _Dad's gonna kill me if I get suspended for tardiness_, she thought.

But she was surprised to see that Mr. Bates was actually smiling at her over his glasses.

"Ah, Sakura. Do come in and have a seat. I have someone I want you to meet," he said, indicating the person in the chair next to her. She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed the other person in the room. She looked over and saw none other than Eriol! He looked just as surprised as she felt.

"Eriol! Hello. What are you doing here? I didn't know you went to Tomoeda!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I just transferred here. I told you I'm from out of town. I'm actually from Hong Kong but I lived in England for a while. I wasn't expecting to see you here, either," he smiled.

"You two know each other?" Mr. Bates interrupted. "Well, that's all the better, because I want you, Sakura, to show Mr. Hiiragizawa around the school today."

"Oh. I'm not in trouble? I mean...that'd be great! I'd love to!" Sakura's beaming smile indicated her immense relief.

"Trouble? Why should you be in trouble? You're an excellent student." Mr. Bates gave her a quizzical look.

"What? Oh, no reason. Forget I ever mentioned it," Sakura started to back out of the room in a hurry, her face turning red. She grabbed Eriol's sleeve and dragged him from the room.

---

"Okay, let me see your schedule," Sakura commanded, holding out her hand to Eriol as they walked. She scanned the sheet of paper. "Okay...here's your locker...and your next class is...biology! Hey, I'm in that class, too! Well, this will be fun," Sakura smiled at the blue eyed boy, took his hand and whisked him away to the magical land of biomes, genetics, genuses, and mitosis.

---

"Hey, Syoaran," Tomoyo smiled as she caught up with the solitary figure in the courtyard.

"Oh, hi, Tomoyo. What do you want?" Syaoran asked without looking at her. His eyes were focused on a single cherry blossom that had alighted on his knee while he was sitting on a bench.

"Why the long face? This isn't still about the movie theatre, is it? Look, I'm sure that she didn't even see us. She probably just had to go to the bathroom or something. What's the big deal?" Tomoyo tried to play innocent.

"Look, Tomoyo, it's over. You've lost. You're probably an okay person when you're not being a total witch messing with my life. But Sakura is the one for me. So how about you stop making it harder for all of us and just leave me alone for a while, okay?" Syaoran said with a tone that finally struck home with Tomoyo. No boy had ever told her 'no' before. And yet...what was this feeling inside her? It felt bad...yes, Tomoyo was finally feeling guilty about the things she had done. She turned and walked off before anyone saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

---

"...And this is Rika, my best friend," Sakura told Eriol, as she put her arm around the other girl. Eriol smiled and offered Rika a small bow. When he raised his head he caught a glimpse of a fleeing girl.

"Who was that?" he questioned.

"Who?" Sakura turned to look behind her and saw Tomoyo disappearing. "Oh, her. That's Tomoyo. She's my cousin," Sakura's face had turned dark. Eriol looked inquiringly at Rika who could only raise her eyebrows at him.

"Well, I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow!" Eriol waved over his shoulder and left the two girls standing on the soccer field.

"Sakura, I think Eriol likes you," Rika began as soon as the boy in question was out of earshot.

"Oh, no he doesn't. We only met a couple days ago," Sakura blushed.

"Well, he sure does look at you a lot. And he's got that look in his eyes," Rika grinned wolfishly at her friend.

"What look?" Sakura looked shocked. She hadn't noticed a look...

"Oh, you know...the one where it seems like his eyeballs may spontaneously combust if he sees anything hotter," Rika laughed.

"Stop teasing! That's cruel, Rika," Sakura poked her friend in the stomach, "do you really think he likes me?" she asked seriously.

"Most definitely," Rika's face was completely straight and serious. Sakura could not doubt that her friend was telling the truth.

"Hmm..." was all she could manage as she considered the boy with blue hair.

Little did either of them know, Syaoran had heard their whole conversation. He had been sitting on the other side of the tree behind them. He wasn't intentionally eavesdropping, especially since he had been there first. But girls do tend to talk loudly when they're discussing boys. He got up and walked away with a devastated expression clouding his once nerdy and now gorgeous features.

------

Okay, I think that went pretty well...what do you guys think? It's complicated, I know. Well, I hope I'm keeping you all interested! It's it enough of a soap opera, or should I put someone in a coma? Haha! Just kidding. Oh, and I know her principal's name probably isn't Mr. Bates, but I don't know what it actually is, so I just used my vice-principal's name. Alright, please review! Adios.


	10. Meetings

Alright, I have no idea what I'm writing about this chapter, so let's see what happens when I wing it. Not that that's any different from what I normally do...

------

Tomoyo walked to the park that night to contemplate her actions. She sat down on the swing and gazed at the stars, wondering what made her behave in such a cruel way all the time. Sakura had been her only real friend and Syaoran had genuinely been interested in Tomoyo, but she had ruined it. She played a stupid little stunt and was too stubborn to apologize. Now she didn't have any friends, and all the guys liked Sakura. Tomoyo bowed her head and silently cried.

When she opened her eyes, there was a pair of shoes right in front of her. She moved her gaze upwards and took in the neatly groomed appearance of a boy with blue eyes and glasses. She was suddenly very aware of her puffy red eyes and tear streaks.

"Oh, um, hello? Do I know you?" Tomoyo asked, getting annoyed at the way he was staring.

"Sorry, I didn't know if you were okay or not. Sorry to have offended you. Goodbye," the boy nodded to her politely and walked off.

Tomoyo silently kicked herself for being so rude. "Wait! I'm sorry, you caught me off guard. Please don't be angry, I didn't mean to snap," she apologized to the boy. That wasn't really such a hard thing to do, she realized.

"You're Tomoyo, aren't you? Sakura's cousin?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I am. Although we don't really get along," she responded, flustered. "Do I know you?"

"So sorry, my name is Eriol Hiiragizawa. I met Sakura a few days ago. It's nice to meet you," he bowed politely, and Tomoyo reciprocated. "May I ask why you were crying?"

"Oh. I was just thinking. I've done so many terrible things to people I care for, and now I...I don't know if they'll ever forgive me," she said, the tears beginning to well in her eyes again. Eriol noticed and gave her a handkerchief from his pocket.

"I'm sure they would forgive you. What have you done that's so terrible?" he asked kindly. Tomoyo felt a strange kind of peace with this gentle young man, so she explained everything from the moment that Syaoran asked her to the dance to when he found her on the swing.

"Interesting. I think I may be able to help you," Eriol said.

---

Rika was walking home from school after talking with Sakura that day, when suddenly Syaoran came jogging up from behind her. She pretended not to notice him and kept walking.

"Rika, I need to talk to you," he said. She kept walking. He gently pulled on her elbow. "Rika, please. I need your help badly. Please just give me half an hour?" he pleaded. Rika stared at him woodenly for a while. Then she glanced around, grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind a nearby stand of trees.

"Alright, what is it?" she demanded.

"It's about Sakura."

"Well, duh. That doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out. What about her?"

"I need you to help me get her back, Rika."

"You never _had_ her in the first place. It was all a sham, remember? Besides, why would she want you back after what she saw in the movie theatre? And Eriol treats her way better than you do," Rika said skeptically.

"That's all true, but Rika, I need her. I've been tormented with this for days now. I'm not gonna say that this was Tomoyo's fault, because I did kiss her back. But you've got to understand Rika, I had a crush on Tomoyo for years, and kissing her was something I had dreamed about that whole time. But when I was kissing her, I realized, there wasn't the same tingling feeling I get when I kiss Sakura. Dreams are never as good as reality, Rika," Syaoran finished, tears gathering on his eyelids.

"Are you being completely honest with me, Syaoran?" Rika questioned.

"Yes. I swear I am."

"Alright, fine. I'll help you get her back. But if you ever do anything like this again..." Rika made a few very clear hand gestures as to why Syaoran had better not do it again. He swallowed hard and nodded in consent. "Okay, meet me at my house at 7 tonight, and we'll develop a plan then," Rika told him.

------

Okay, I know it wasn't very exciting or anything, and that beginning with Tomoyo and Eriol was awkward, but I had to think of something! And yeah, she probably can't see the stars in urban Japan, but let's not get too technical, okay? Anyway, please review!


	11. Girl at the Bridge

Alright, let's see if I can keep this story interesting for all of you out in cyberspace!

------

The next day at school, Sakura seemed to have forgotten that such a person as Syaoran Li had ever existed. The only guy on her mind was a quiet, bespectacled boy named Eriol. Twice during class was she called upon to give an answer and was caught daydreaming. Rika was forced to give her a sharp elbow between the ribs once when she neglected to answer a question.

"What has gotten into you, Sakura? You act as though you're a mile above everything happening here!" Rika exclaimed in exasperation at her friend's spaciness.

"Doesn't he have the prettiest eyes?" Sakura observed, not listening to a thing that had just been said.

"Aw, crap. Sakura, you're not supposed to move into the obsessive stage when you've only known the guy for a grand total of four days! Yeah, he's a nice guy, and he's cute and smart. So is Syaoran, remember?" Rika tried to break the reverie and hopefully nudge Sakura towards her new accomplice.

"Who?" Sakura asked, mildly interested for the first time.

"Syaoran! Syaoran Li! The guy you were so broken up about a couple days ago. My gosh, Sakura, do you have amnesia or something?" Rika wanted to take her friend and bang her head against a wall a couple times to try to knock some sense back into her.

"Oh. Him. Who cares about him?" Sakura snapped and stalked off. Rika rolled her eyes and followed.

---

"Ah, Tomoyo. How nice to see you," Eriol smiled at the approaching girl. He was sitting beneath one of the many flowering trees on campus.

"Hi, Eriol. So, what are we going to do today?" Tomoyo asked as she walked up.

"Well, I was thinking that if you want to work on your humility a bit, we could go volunteer at a soup kitchen after school," he offered. When Tomoyo wrinkled her nose, he just laughed. "Come on. You want to improve yourself, so you need to start seeing what's going on around you." He gave her a brief hug, took her backpack from her, and they walked off.

---

"I'm fine, Rika. You really don't have to follow me around. Actually, I'd kind of like to just go for a walk by myself," Sakura told her friend when they reached the entrance to the school.

"Well, okay. I've got a lot of homework and studying, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Rika said, and walked off. Sakura turned a corner of the school after watching her friend leave. Unfortunately, she happened to see Tomoyo walk up to Eriol, talk a bit, hug and walk off together.

"NO!" She cried, and ran off.

---

Syaoran was sitting in a tree by the bridge across a little brook near the school. It had been raining a lot recently, and the stream was swollen with water and had a rather rapid current. He threw a twig into the water and idly watched it swirl and dance in an eddy before being pulled out and swept away downstream by the current.

He wasn't focusing on anything in particular when he saw a figure on the bridge. She was looking at the water, and her face had a rather tranquil calm to it. It was Sakura. Syaoran decided not to say anything. She looked beautiful standing there, but he couldn't help noticing the redness of her eyes. Had she been crying? Just as he stood watching, she jumped.

---

After working all afternoon in the soup kitchen, Eriol and Tomoyo finally left, exhausted. Tomoyo was sweating, tired, and had traces of food on her blouse, but she apparently didn't care.

"Wow. I had no idea that people actually lived like this. Eriol, I've never seen anyone so grateful for so little! I didn't know that such places of poverty even existed here," Tomoyo said in disbelief.

"Yes, it can have that effect on people. I think it's important to volunteer at places like this, not only because it gives aid to the needy, but because the needy give aid to the needed. After my first time volunteering with the poor, I gained an entirely new perspective. I learned to value what I have and the people around me, and not take them for granted. That's why I wanted you to come here with me today, Tomoyo," he said. He stopped and grabbed her hand. "Tomoyo, never take advantage of those around you. You never know when you may need them the most." And with that, he kissed her hand and left her at her front door.

------

Bwahaha! Did I just write a bit of a cliff hanger? I do believe I did! What will happen to Sakura? And what's this with Tomoyo and Eriol? Will Tomoyo really change? What will Syaoran do? Please review!


	12. The Hospital

Well, I got mixed reactions from the last chapter, so I'm going to try to clear up a few issues in this one. Enjoy!

------

White...white ceiling...white walls...white sheets. Sakura's eyes slowly took in a few simple details before she realized that one of her hands was warm and slightly wet. She glanced down and saw a mop of golden brown hair lying by her hand. Syaoran was sitting by her bed, her hand in his, his head right next to it. He was sleeping now, but she could tell by the streaks on his face that he had been crying. That would explain why her hand felt wet...

--- Earlier that day---

Tomoyo rushed to the hospital. Rika had left a message on her cell phone saying that Sakura was in the hospital. It was all she could do not to break down and start sobbing right there on the freeway.

When she got to the hospital she found the nurses' station to get Sakura's room number, and then hurried into the room.

As she arrived, she saw the austere white room with the hospital bed in the center. She wasn't expecting to see the boy next to the bed, his eyes red from crying.

"Syaoran?" she said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

Syaoran looked up, surprised to see Tomoyo, and hurriedly tried to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

"I was the one who pulled her out of the water and called the ambulance. I can't think of anywhere else I could possibly be right now," he said, sadly.

"What happened, Syaoran?" Tomoyo's eyes were brimming with tears.

"I don't know. I was sitting by the stream and I saw Sakura run up to the bridge, and I guess she jumped. There's no railing, and it all happened so fast..." his voice trailed off. Tomoyo looked at him in silent admiration.

"You really care for her, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I really do," Syaoran's voice was choked with emotion.

"Well, when she wakes up, please tell her I came. I'll leave you alone now. Good-bye, Syaoran. I'm so sorry if I hurt either of you," Tomoyo said. For once in her life, she sincerely meant it, too.

---

"Syaoran?" Sakura's voice was weak as she spoke, but Syaoran was instantly alert.

"Sakura! You're okay! I'm so sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to, it-" he was abruptly cut off by her hand over his mouth.

"Syaoran, please tell me why I'm here. I don't remember much," she said.

"I really don't know. I was sitting by the stream, and you ran to the bridge and jumped in for some reason. Why did you do it, Sakura?" Syaoran was obviously upset.

"I jumped? Wait...I remember now. I was running away because I was angry at something that had happened earlier. I just couldn't take all the emotional turmoil any longer. But Syaoran, I assure you, I didn't jump. There was a puddle on the bridge. There are no railings. I stopped to look at the water and catch my breath, but then I turned to keep running. I slipped in the puddle and fell in. I guess I got swept under in the current. You don't really think I would kill myself over a boy, do you?" Sakura was a little accusing with the last statement, but when she saw the look on Syaoran's face, she immediately felt sorry.

"I hope not, Sakura. May I ask who the boy was?"

"Well, technically it was Eriol, but it was also you, and Tomoyo, and this whole crappy situation that's been going on lately. Syaoran, I'm just sick of it all! All of the high school drama...What's the point?"

"You were crying because of me?" Sakura and Syaoran turned to see who had just spoken. Eriol walked into the room. "I'm sorry I didn't knock, but I didn't want to disturb you. I only caught the last bit of your conversation. May I ask why you were crying over me, Sakura?"

Sakura looked flustered and slightly angry. Syaoran stood up in a defensive posture.

"No, Syaoran, sit down. I do need to talk to Eriol," she said. "I believe you have every right to know, Eriol. You see, I met you after going through a terrible heartbreak over Syaoran. It involved your friend Tomoyo. When I met you, you seemed like the perfect guy, and honestly, I developed a huge crush right away. It was probably a rebound thing. Anyway, I saw you and Tomoyo hug and walk off, and I was totally crushed again by my cousin. It was just a bunch of pent up emotions, really." When she finished her little speech, Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, I see," said Eriol. "Well, I suppose it's time I clear things up for you, then..."

------

Ick. Okay, I know it wasn't a very good chapter, but hopefully it'll start answering some questions for you guys. It's poorly written, doesn't flow really well, and it's not very interesting, but the story is finally winding down here, so please don't be too mad at me. As always, reviews are welcome, even flames so long as they are constructive.


	13. Forgiveness

Wow. It's been so long since I last updated that I had to reread my last chapter. If I have any conflicting storylines in this chapter, I apologize, but I've forgotten some of the stuff I've written. Okay, sorry to keep you all waiting. Here is the final chapter of Masquerade.

------

"Tomoyo and I have recently become friends. She approached me a while back because she felt her actions had gotten out of control. She wanted me to help her stop being so selfish. I have been taking her with me when I go to my volunteer job at the soup kitchen after school. So if you saw me with Tomoyo, I assure you that it was platonic and I didn't mean any harm to either of you. I'm afraid I may have accidentally created a rift between you guys, and I apologize." Eriol looked rather sheepish at this point.

"So...you don't have feelings for Tomoyo?" Sakura questioned.

"Well...it started out that way..." Eriol's face turned a deep shade of red.

"Eriol, it's okay! If you like Tomoyo, go for it! She couldn't possibly ask for a better guy. And it's good to hear that she's trying to become a better person, although I did love her, flaws and all," Sakura grinned. Eriol smiled back, paused for a moment, and then threw his arms around Sakura's neck.

"I'm glad you're okay, Sakura," he whispered.

"Me, too," she chuckled.

"Speaking of Tomoyo," Syaoran interrupted, "she came in while you were still unconscious. She wanted me to tell you that she did come to visit. I really do think she has changed, Sakura."

"It looks like I'll have to pay her a visit when I get out of here, then."

---

The next Saturday, Sakura was finally out of the hospital, and the first thing she did was to go visit Tomoyo. When she knocked on the door, Tomoyo's mother answered.

"Is Tomoyo around?" Sakura inquired.

"Why, yes, Sakura. Won't you come in?" her aunt beamed at her. Sakura followed her into the living room and sat down on the sofa to wait for Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo, you have a visitor!" her mother called up the stairs. A moment later, Tomoyo came down the stairs. When she saw Sakura, she stood on the bottom step a little awkwardly and looked embarrassed.

"Mom, could you leave us alone, please?" she said. Her mother smiled and left the room.

"Would you go for a walk with me, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo nodded and silently walked over and held the door open for Sakura.

They walked slowly side by side, not saying anything. Eventually, Sakura sat down on a bench and beckoned Tomoyo to join her.

"Look, Tomoyo, I'm really sorry for the way I've behaved. I'd never had anyone look at me twice, and suddenly I was getting all sorts of attention. I couldn't stand that you were still able to take away something I considered mine...twice. You've always been the popular girl with all the good looks and boyfriends. I didn't realize how jealous I was until I saw you kiss Syaoran. It was wrong of me to be so angry, though. That's not how a friend should act," Sakura finished.

Tomoyo looked at her and her eyes began to well up. "Oh, Sakura! I feel like such a heel! I did all that on purpose. I hooked you up with Syaoran because I thought he was a loser, and then I wanted him because he was handsome and he was your boyfriend. I set up that scene at the movies. Syaoran had nothing to do with it. How can you forgive me? I was so awful!" She began to sob in remorse.

"Yeah, that was pretty awful, but the important thing is that it's over and you regret it, right? So I have no reason to hold a grudge," Sakura lifted Tomoyo's chin up so that they were eye to eye and smiled at her. Tomoyo hugged Sakura, and they sat like that for a few minutes; hugging and crying.

"Let's not fight over anything as silly as a boy anymore, okay?" Tomoyo said.

"Agreed," Sakura smiled. She stood up and offered Tomoyo her arm, and they walked back to Tomoyo's house, laughing and joking as though nothing had ever happened.

---

When Sakura told Syaoran about the encounter that night, she was really excited.

"Wow! Settle down! You're bouncing around so much you're making me sick!" he laughed.

"Sorry," she giggled, "I'm just so excited. Tomoyo and I are friends again! I didn't realize just how much I missed her. Before this whole thing happened, she really was nice to me. I'm glad we're friends again."

"Well, I'm glad you've patched things up between you, too. But you know what I missed most?" he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What?"

"This." And he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a head-spinningly long, slow kiss.

THE END

------

Okay, the end was pretty dumb, and everything had a too-neat happy ending, but it was all I could think of and still get this story done by the time I wanted it finished. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story, and I would love feedback on this chapter. Please review!


End file.
